grow tips & faqs

pre-colonised mushroom grow kits like ours are a live product, and they have a lifespan which will depend on how they are stored. for the best results we always recommend starting your kit as soon as possible, as the block is bursting with energy and life and will want to start growing as soon as it can. if you can't start it right away, keep it in the fridge (2-5oC) for up to three weeks. it might be okay for up to a couple of months in there, but we couldn't guarantee it!

open the box first, by peeling back the tape by the flap. take out the contents - there is a spray bottle, the colonised block of substrate in a bag, and the instructions sheet... open up the windows at the back of the box (carefully use a craft knife or similar to help you, guided by the perforations), and then put the block back in, with the top of the bag folded down tight to prevent the mushrooms from trying to grow from the top of the block.

shut the box back up using the tape.

with sterile scissors, cut a cross in the plastic, through the window hole, about 10 x 10 cm. this is where you want the mushrooms to grow from.

now, you just have to remember to keep an eye on the block, and spray it with some water from the spray bottle, at least twice a day, but more often if you can. the trick is not to let the substrate dry out whilst you're waiting for the mushrooms to grow - so it's best not to peel back the plastic where you cut an X. just spray directly at it, and around the windows to keep the humidity there.

give the instructions sheet a good read too - if you haven't already!

oyster mushrooms naturally grow in wooded areas on trees or decaying wood, where there is shaded light, moisture and a fresh breeze.

they are able to cope with a range of conditions, but they have their limits!

the ideal temperature range is between 12 and 20 degrees C. oyster mushrooms can cope with cooler temperatures, down to 6 degrees, but their growth will slow right down. they can also do alright when it's hotter than 20oC, as long as they have enough humidity to keep them from drying out. mushrooms should have a high water content, and can absorb moisture super fast.

a humidity of between 70-85% rH is ideal, however, as long as you mist them regularly with water, they will be happy and continue growing.

think shaded woodland dappled with sunlight, cool, damp air and a fresh breeze! :)

hmm... probably not ideal places for your grow kit. here's why...

an outbuilding or shed will most likely fluctuate in temperature too much, and may also be a bit dark or the air a bit stagnant. mushrooms love daylight (not hot, direct sunlight though), fresh air, and high humidity.

for similar reasons, the conservatory or a greenhouse would likely get too hot in the day and too cold at night. the grow kit would probably dry out very quickly and fail to produce any mushrooms in these environments.

cupboards are too dark for these mushrooms! (it's the white supermarket mushrooms that love to grow in the dark!) oyster mushrooms naturally grow in woodland areas, where there is shaded light, moisture and a fresh breeze.

first, make sure the growing parameters are correct - look at the surface of the block and the mycelium under the opening you made in the bag. does it look dry and yellow?

take a peek under the plastic flaps by carefully peeling them back - is it moist underneath? it should be! are there small clusters of tiny 'pins' (baby mushrooms) forming? if so, that's great - and don't worry, they will find their way out of the opening given time.

all mushroom growing blocks are unique, and some will take slightly longer to get going than others. keep spraying the block regularly and inspecting it visually. it may take up to two weeks for the mushrooms to start appearing, but an average amount of time is 10 days from opening.

if you're not sure, please take a photo of the opening of the grow kit and email us - we are here to help!

mycelium is the mushroom's root system, and it's soft and fluffy and white (sometimes pale yellow). it can look a little bit like mould until you get used to how it looks and the differences between them.

the fine soft white fuzz that you might see on oyster mushroom stems and cap tops isn't mould, but mycelium. this can be in response to the environment, is totally natural, safe and friendly. it's healthy and safe to eat, and has nothing to do with unwanted organisms :) in fact, given enough time at room temperature, once a mushroom has completed it's life cycle and dropped it spores, it can consume itself with mycelium and start the growing process again.

if you can see green, blue or black patches on the mycelium, that's more likely to be mould. the mushroom's mycelium has a good resistance to pathogens and will fight and contain them, usually. you can leave them be if they are underneath the plastic away from the growing mushrooms, or if it's accessible to you, you can cut away the infected patch with a clean spoon or knife and dispose of it, leaving the rest of the white mycelium behind to continue growing.

if in doubt, give us a shout!

that's okay - you can either cut the windows off, stick them back to give the mushrooms more room, or you can leave them as they are because the mushrooms will force their way through! mushrooms can double in size every few hours when they're really going for it!

that's an easy one! just pop your mushrooms outside in the sunlight for 20-60 minutes, on the day that you want to harvest them. the sun's rays will stimulate the mushroom to start hyper vitamin D production. check out this study for more information.

bigger is not always better with mushrooms. if left for too long, they will drop their spores, leaving the dust of spores underneath them and in the air. that's ok, however, you don't really want them in the air and everywhere, so it's best to pick them a day or two before this, not only to avoid spores, but also because they are firmer and keep for longer if you pick them earlier. the longer you leave them to grow, the more brittle and delicate the caps will become.

the perfect time to pick them is once they are nice and big and deep in colour, while the edges of the caps are still curled downwards slightly (not fully opened and turning upwards).

you're welcome to send us a picture over and we will give our opinion on readiness! just email or whatsapp us a picture of your mushrooms!

when the mushrooms are ready to harvest, you can either use a knife to cut them off the block, as close to the surface as possible.

you can also try gently grabbing the whole cluster with both hands, and pulling and twisting them. they should come away from the block quite easily, leaving a fresh, brown void in the substrate which will eventually re-colonise with mycelium if you care for it well by not letting it dry out.

your mushroom fruiting block contains enough energy to produce more than one flush of mushrooms. at the right time of year, we have seen up to five flushes from one block.

it's all about keeping the mycelium happy. after cropping your first flush, there are a few ways to go about getting a second and a third.

don't be too disappointed if nothing more grows - the majority of the yield comes in the first flush.

for a second flush, you can tape up the original cross you made, turn the block over and start from a new cross on the fresh side. the mushroom will notice that the air and mist are now coming from the other direction, and should start to grow there as a result.

alternatively, if the site where you harvested the first crop is clean looking (no old stems or yellowing or drying parts), you can just give it a good spray and start waiting patiently for it to recolonise the area and sprout again, making sure to keep on top of daily misting so it doesn't dry out.

anther approach, especially for later flushes, is to soak the whole block in cold water overnight, then drain it and start again - either from the same side, or a new side. the block will absorb some of the water to replace what has already been extracted by the mushrooms.